Are there any health risks associated with RFID and radio waves?
Some have questioned whether electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by power lines, mobile phones, WLANs, RFID readers and other wireless devices may be harmful to human health. The World Health Organization’s research, as well as many other scientific studies, have shown that EMF exposure below the limits recommended in internationally adopted guidelines has not revealed any known negative health effects. To ensure a uniform benchmark for compliance, EPCglobal recommends adhering to the human exposure limits for EMF as developed by the International Consortium on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by the WHO.
Will RFID lead to massive layoffs of workers?
RFID technology is a laborsaving technology, so it’s likely that some tasks will be automated through the use of RFID. Fewer workers will be needed to scan bar codes. But the transition from bar codes to RFID could take a decade or more, so it is unlikely that RFID will lead to wide-scale displacement of workers. The technology will likely create new jobs, just as Internet technologies creating new jobs, from Web developers to warehouse workers managing inventory for online stores such as Amazon.com. The jobs that will be affected by RFID are those that involve scanning bar codes. Most of those jobs also have other components, such as moving products or restocking shelves. Those jobs will not go away because of RFID.
